Philippines seeks stronger ties with Timor-Leste

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, is looking to forge stronger relations with Timor-Leste and explore various areas of partnership between the two nations.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro welcomed Timor-Leste Minister of Foreign Affairs Bendito Dos Santos Freitas and his delegation to the country yesterday along with Timor-Leste Ambassador Marciano da Silva.

“Today, I had the pleasure of welcoming anew to Manila Foreign Minister Freitas. Our discussions this morning built upon his official visit to the Philippines last year and is a testament to the close ties that our two countries have enjoyed since the establishment of our diplomatic relations on the 20th of May 2002, the very day that the people of Timor-Leste celebrated the restoration of their independence,” she said.

Lazaro acknowledged the high-level visits made by Timor-Leste officials to Manila including that of President Jose Ramos-Horta in 2023 and Freitas himself last year, noting that such “high-level engagements both signal our growing bilateral relationship and further advances it.”

“This morning, we examined the prospect of pursuing legal cooperation to send a strong and unified message: those who must face justice as determined by our legal systems will find no safe haven within our respective borders,” Lazaro said in a press conference.

She said they also discussed the implementation of an agreement on visa-waiver for holders of diplomatic and official or service passports, which will serve to enhance official engagements of Timor-Leste officials who will be going to Manila for the Philippines’ chairmanship of Association of Southeast Asian Nations next year.

“Moving forward, we intend to take stock of the status of our relations and identify further areas where we can cooperate through the bilateral mechanism which is the Policy Consultations. We hope to have the next policy consultations, after a decade, hopefully by early next year,” Lazaro said.

“In addition, the foreign minister and I discussed the positive developments regarding Timor-Leste’s aspiration to join the ASEAN family. The Philippines welcomes the steps taken by Timor-Leste to fulfill key milestones towards its ASEAN membership and expresses once more our readiness to extend technical support and assistance in the remaining vital areas that require focused attention,” she added.

As the incoming chair of ASEAN 2026, Lazaro said she “conveyed our assurances to the foreign minister that the Philippines will collaborate with Timor-Leste in promoting an integration process that is effective, inclusive, and centered on the needs of their people.”

Lazaro said she and Freitas likewise exchanged views on key regional issues, and also shared with him the challenges that the Philippines faces in the West Philippine Sea.

“Last but not least, we recognized the excellent people-to-people ties between our two countries that are greatly advanced by the 1,500-strong Filipino community in Timor-Leste who hold important positions in the education and service sectors,” she said.